5 Minute Mediterranean Salad with Cucumbers and Tomatoes

Looking for a quick, refreshing lunch? This 5 minute mediterranean cucumber tomato salad is packed with fresh flavors including tomatoes, cucumbers, chickpeas, fresh lemon, and more!

Why you'll love this recipe:

• Quick and simple: 5 minutes with simple ingredients you probably already have in your house!
• Refreshing: Fresh lemon and crisp tomatoes and cucumbers create a tasty, delicious salad
• Healthy: Packed with plant-based protein from the chickpeas, fresh veggies, and lemon. This is a nutrient powerhouse salad!
• Vegan, gluten free, and dairy free!

Ingredients

For this recipe you will need some fresh ingredients:

• Can of chickpeas: You can swap this out for another white bean such as Great Northern Beans.
• Tomato: You can use a roma, vine, or cherry tomatoes. All will taste amazing in this salad!
• Cucumber: Creates a crisp crunch to the salad. If you don't have cucumber consider a pepper.
• Parsley: Fresh parsley tastes amazing in this recipe. If you don't have parsley consider using dried herbs such as oregano or herbs de provence.
• Fresh Lemon: I highly recommend freshly squeezed lemon for this recipe for the best flavor!
• Vegan feta: Not a requirement, but adds a good savory aspect to the acidity of the lemon. I love Follow Your Heart or Violife feta.
• Kalamata olives: They have a strong, rich salty flavor that pairs well with this salad. If you only have black olives those will also taste good too.
• Olive oil: I recommend a high quality extra virgin olive oil. If you are trying to be oil-free, you can omit this from the recipe. I love Fresh Press Farms.

Recipe Variations

• Add more veg: red pepper, red onion, spinach, or artichokes
• Add grains: chilled couscous, quinoa, or barley would be delicious in this salad!
• Add more protein: white beans, sprinkle of hemp seeds, mini tofu cubes
• Add more flavor: Vegan pesto, fresh basil, or avocado!

How to Make this Mediterranean Cucumber Tomato Salad

1. Dice up your veggies (tomato, cucumber, parsley).
2. In a large bowl combine chickpeas with veggies, feta, olives, lemon, juice, and olive oil. Gently mix.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste.

If you like this recipe, try out this other delicious Mediterranean Farro salad.

Why this salad is a Nutrient Powerhouse

This Mediterranean salad packed with cucumbers, tomatoes, chickpeas and more is filled with vitamins and minerals that nourish your body!

• Plant-based protein and fiber: Chickpeas are an amazing bean filled with almost 12g of protein per cup and fiber to help with digestion.
• Vitamins: Tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, and lemon juice are packed with Vitamin C to help your immune system. Tomatoes are high in lycopene, an antioxidant that fights free radicals to prevent cancer.
• Antioxidants: Herbs like parsley are highly concentrated in antioxidants which can lower your risk of certain cancers.

Storage

• Fridge: Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Freezer: I do not recommend freezing this recipe.

Pro Tips:

• If you have time, you can chill this salad for 1 hour and it will taste even better! The flavors will marinate together over time.
• Don't forget to wash your tomato and cucumber before dicing. Dirt definitely doesn't taste good!
• Use a high quality olive oil for this salad. This flavor will really define your salad!

Looking for more refreshing salads? Try out:

Find more 20+ Refreshing Vegan Salads here!